Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Richard Coffin, Chief of Research and Advocacy, USAFacts, shares how nonpartisan government data helps families, educators and health care leaders make informed decisions — especially when it comes to children’s health. From COVID-19 tracking and vaccine data to local public health trends, this conversation highlights why transparent, accessible facts are critical to building trust and advancing whole child health.
Featuring:
Richard Coffin, Chief of Research and Advocacy, USAFacts
Host/Producer: Carol Vassar
00:00 Welcome to Well Beyond Medicine
00:36 Meet Richard Coffin of USAFacts
01:11 Why USAFacts Was Founded (The Steve Ballmer Story)
02:39 From the Constitution to Real-Life Data Needs
03:24 COVID Tracking & Supplying Data to the CDC
04:55 What Is a “Fact”? Defining Trustworthy Government Data
06:12 Why USAFacts Doesn’t Publish Projections
08:21 Helping Families Navigate Health Misinformation
08:58 The State of the Facts Poll: Why Data Builds Trust
10:17 Media Partnerships & Localized Health Data
11:23 How USAFacts Uses AI (With Human Oversight)
13:25 Making Public Health Data Accessible & Actionable
15:23 Data Privacy Guardrails in Health Reporting
16:38 Lessons from COVID & Fighting Medical Misinformation
17:11 The Challenge of 90,000 Governments
18:14 Creating Common Data Frameworks Across States
19:25 Why Millions Turn to Fact-Based Information
21:06 Fear, Headlines & The Search for Context
22:50 Making Complex Government Data Understandable
23:47 Exemplary Partner: United States Department of Commerce
24:45 What’s Next for USAFacts? The Future of Public Data
Thanks for listening to Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children’s Health Podcast. How do you go well beyond medicine in your own life or community? How do you celebrate it?
🎙️ Share your story or leave us a voicemail: speakpipe.com/NemoursWellBeyond
Your message could be featured in a future episode.
🌐 Listen to more episodes and explore the podcast: nemourswellbeyond.org
📩 Sign up for our monthly newsletter for new episodes, stories, and updates: nemourswellbeyond.org/news
Follow Nemours Children’s Health:
Instagram: instagram.com/nemours
X (Twitter): twitter.com/Nemours
Facebook: facebook.com/Nemours
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nemours
Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children’s Health Podcast explores children’s health, pediatric care, health equity, mental health, social determinants of health, and health care innovation—from food security and community-based care to meeting families where they are with accessible health and wellness resources. We highlight the people and ideas shaping the future of pediatric health care and building the healthiest generations of children ever.
#WellBeyondMedicine #NemoursChildrensHealth #Pediatrics #ChildrensHealth #HealthEquity #HealthcareInnovation #MentalHealth #socialdeterminantsofhealth
Richard Coffin, Chief of Research and Advocacy, USAFacts, shares how nonpartisan government data helps families, educators and health care leaders make informed decisions — especially when it comes to children’s health. From COVID-19 tracking and vaccine data to local public health trends, this conversation highlights why transparent, accessible facts are critical to building trust and advancing whole child health.
Featuring:
Richard Coffin, Chief of Research and Advocacy, USAFacts
Host/Producer: Carol Vassar
00:00 Welcome to Well Beyond Medicine
00:36 Meet Richard Coffin of USAFacts
01:11 Why USAFacts Was Founded (The Steve Ballmer Story)
02:39 From the Constitution to Real-Life Data Needs
03:24 COVID Tracking & Supplying Data to the CDC
04:55 What Is a “Fact”? Defining Trustworthy Government Data
06:12 Why USAFacts Doesn’t Publish Projections
08:21 Helping Families Navigate Health Misinformation
08:58 The State of the Facts Poll: Why Data Builds Trust
10:17 Media Partnerships & Localized Health Data
11:23 How USAFacts Uses AI (With Human Oversight)
13:25 Making Public Health Data Accessible & Actionable
15:23 Data Privacy Guardrails in Health Reporting
16:38 Lessons from COVID & Fighting Medical Misinformation
17:11 The Challenge of 90,000 Governments
18:14 Creating Common Data Frameworks Across States
19:25 Why Millions Turn to Fact-Based Information
21:06 Fear, Headlines & The Search for Context
22:50 Making Complex Government Data Understandable
23:47 Exemplary Partner: United States Department of Commerce
24:45 What’s Next for USAFacts? The Future of Public Data
Thanks for listening to Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children’s Health Podcast. How do you go well beyond medicine in your own life or community? How do you celebrate it?
🎙️ Share your story or leave us a voicemail: speakpipe.com/NemoursWellBeyond
Your message could be featured in a future episode.
🌐 Listen to more episodes and explore the podcast: nemourswellbeyond.org
📩 Sign up for our monthly newsletter for new episodes, stories, and updates: nemourswellbeyond.org/news
Follow Nemours Children’s Health:
Instagram: instagram.com/nemours
X (Twitter): twitter.com/Nemours
Facebook: facebook.com/Nemours
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nemours
Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children’s Health Podcast explores children’s health, pediatric care, health equity, mental health, social determinants of health, and health care innovation—from food security and community-based care to meeting families where they are with accessible health and wellness resources. We highlight the people and ideas shaping the future of pediatric health care and building the healthiest generations of children ever.
#WellBeyondMedicine #NemoursChildrensHealth #Pediatrics #ChildrensHealth #HealthEquity #HealthcareInnovation #MentalHealth #socialdeterminantsofhealth
